I brought these cookies to a Cinco de Mayo party last weekend, hense the lime cream cheese frosting, and they went over quite well. They are soft, with a really delicate crumb and topped with a generous, but not overwhelming, dose of frosting.
I’ve posted these cookies before, but the recipe below has been modified to make a smaller size cookie; they came out closer in size to Lofthouse or Cheryl’s. But if you’d rather go giant, there’s a link below for those too.
Soft Sugar Cookies with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted, slightly from Cooking Classy Makes 24 Cookies – For the GIANT version of these cookies, click here I made these with lime cream cheese frosting, but have also included a vanilla butter cream recipe below. Feel free to experiment with frosting flavors – these would be delicious with a lemon, raspberry or chocolate buttercream too. Recipe doubles easily! To make lime cream cheese frosting, add zest of half a lime, finely grated, omit extracts, and add in 1 teaspoon of lime juice to the basic cream cheese frosting recipe below.Cookies
2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup all vegetable shortening (unflavored), at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg white 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extractBasic Cream Cheese Buttercream
3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2 drops of almond extract 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons half-and-halfVanilla Buttercream
1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2 drops of almond extract 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons half-and-half food coloring, optionalFor the Cookies
Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk a few times; set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whip butter, shortening and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy; about 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and mixing paddle as needed. Add in egg and mix until well combined. Add in remaining egg white, vanilla and almond extract and mix thoroughly. With mixer running on medium-low, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just to incorporate. Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate 2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F during the last 10 minutes of refrigeration.
Scoop dough out by very generous tablespoonfuls, or portion with a scale (mine were about 32 grams / 1.1 ounces each), and roll into a ball. Place dough ball on lightly floured surface, sprinkle top lightly with flour. Flatten dough to 1/2? thick using a smooth, flat object (cookie will be about 2? after flattening). Transfer cookie to a parchment lined, or buttered cookie sheet and repeat process with remaining dough (use 2 to 3 cookie sheets). Bake in pre-heated oven for 7 – 10 minutes, until centers just puff, and do not indent when lightly touched. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely. Frost and decorate.
For Frosting
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, of a stand or hand electric mixer. Whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Frost and decorate cookies. If using cream cheese frosting, I highly recommend letting it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting so it thickens slightly. If decorating with sprinkles, be sure to add sprinkles immediately after frosting each cookie, so they stick.
Sue/the view from great island says
Soft frosted sugar cookies like these have been on my bucket list for so long…I love the look of them, and I have a serious weakness for frosted cookies, they’re almost like tiny little cakes.
heather says
Thank-you! They totally are!!
Patsy says
One of my favorite kind of cookies! I love the lime cream cheese frosting you went with on these… I hadn’t thought to switch up the frosting flavors – and the possibilities are really limitless!
huntfortheverybest says
cream cheese frosting sounds delish on these cookies!
Anonymous says
What’s the recipe for the lime cream cheese?? and is almond extract extra for the cream cheese buttercream? Looks great!(:
heather says
Thanks!! The lime cream cheese frosting variation is in the notes just before the ingredient listing, but here it is again:
To make lime cream cheese frosting, add zest of half a lime, finely grated, omit extracts, and add in 1 teaspoon of lime juice to the basic cream cheese frosting recipe below.
Anonymous says
Is the almond extract necessary for the lime cream cheese frosting? Looks delicious!
heather says
Hi! No – Omit the vanilla and almond extracts for the lime variation.
JEvans says
I want these now! Ugh, I hate that PA is so far away!
Heather says
These are amazing!! Fantastic recipe. 🙂
marie says
is there a way i can save some dough to make cookies a few days from when I make the dough?
heather says
Hi Marie, I’ve let the dough sit for up to 24 hours in the fridge. You could also probably freeze the shaped cookies to bake at a later time.